Mississippi State freshman guard Fred Thomas will miss the next six weeks of work as he recovers from surgery Wednesday to repair a stress fracture in his right foot.

Thomas, a 6-3 native of Jackson, Miss., is expected to be fully healed when the start of fall practice begins Oct. 12.

“It’s disappointing because Fred came in with a tremendous attitude and ready to go to work,” new Mississippi State coach Rick Ray said in a statement. “Fortunately, we caught it at a time where we expect to have him back at the start of practice. I want to commend Dr. (Scott) Jones and our trainer Scotty Johnson for catching this fracture early enough that it gives Fred a chance to be 100 percent at the start of the season.”